LIVES volunteers have responded to nearly 800 people involved in road traffic collisions across Lincolnshire so far this year.

Published:11:27Monday 25 September 2017

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A charity which responds to 999 medical emergencies says it has experienced a dramatic increase in the number of serious road traffic collisions it has been called to attend across Lincolnshire this year.

LIVES medic responders are qualified healthcare professionals – doctors, nurses, paramedics and technicians – who are based in local communities and are trained to deliver timely life-saving interventions.

This year is proving to be the charity’s busiest on record, with the volunteers responding to nearly 800 people involved in road traffic collisions across Lincolnshire between January and August.

This compares to the 677 serious collisions LIVES first responders attended over the same period last year, an increase of 18 per cent.

On average, LIVES volunteers attend nearly 60 calls per day and aim to get to the patient in eight to nine minutes to deliver immediate life-saving care, often before the arrival of an ambulance.

Nikki Silver, CEO of LIVES, said: “Our volunteers make a huge contribution to their communities, responding to emergency calls day or night and whatever the weather.

“Our first responders and medics bring the hospital to the roadside to help the people of Lincolnshire in their greatest time of need.

“We’re often the first people at the scene of an emergency and our actions literally save lives.

“Now, as the number of calls we attend grows, more than ever it is important for us to raise funds to allow our volunteers to continue their exceptional lifesaving work.

“We are very grateful for the public support that allows us to continue to offer immediate medical care throughout Lincolnshire, and we would not have been able to help over 20,000 people each year without our generous supporters.”

Every year LIVES need to raise more than £1 million from public donations to keep its army of volunteers trained and equipped to be able to respond to any medical emergency across Lincolnshire.